One Last Time
by everyhazyday
Summary: Robert get's one last moment with each of his girls.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note** : I posted this on tumblr about two years ago, recently it came up again and I remembered the plans I had for it. A chapter for Sybil, Mary, Edith, and Cora. Mary's chapter was sitting in my drafts halfway done. So I am posting it on here and in the next couple days will add Mary's chapter.

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He hadn't expected Sybil to be upset by his death so her tears caught him off guard, just as the quiet comfort her husband expressed surprised him. Robert hadn't ever gotten along with Tom and had assumed the younger man would have been glad to see him go, but instead he seemed genuinely sad. Robert's biases were challenged again as he watched Tom and Sybil figuring their finances together. They were making decisions and plans as partners. He had to smile. His smart girl was being respected, just as she had always wanted. Robert's heart softened at years of moments like these; the way Tom was the first to go to someone's aid, the way they had wrangled and taught their daughter and rowdy sons, shaping them into such good people that Robert never got to know, the way they worked together around the house, the obvious tenderness between the two of them. It all made Robert recognize that maybe he had been wrong about his opinionated, Irish son-in-law, and maybe he had been too harsh with his baby girl.

Sybil found herself at Downton in the chilly fall of late September, just as she had every September since the telegram bearing the news of her father's death had sent her there years before. A person of lesser character may have let former disagreements keep her away, but Sybil had always been forgiving.

This year she had spent the morning with her family, leaving lilies in the cemetery, but after lunch they had all drifted off. A phrase from a book had stuck itself in Sybil's mind earlier but she wasn't sure what it was from, so she found herself alone in the library in search of answers.

Book after book came off the shelves, got looked over and returned again. At some point she heard a noise behind her and still holding her current book she turned. She blinked against the sun streaming through the windows. _It can't be_ ,she thought. She shook her head a little, trying to get the image of her father to straighten into whoever was really there. "Hello?"

The voice that returned was the gentle voice of her father, the late Earl of Grantham. "What are you reading?"

Sybil held up the book in her hands, "I'm trying to find something," she closed her eyes, trying to remember and get it right, " _such hours are beautiful to live, but hard to describe_."

He nodded sagely and said, " _Little Women_."

"I didn't think you would be familiar with _Little Women_."

Robert laughed as he moved towards the shelves, searching for the desired book. "Your mother loves it. She would read bits a loud to me whenever she was reading it." Upon finding it he pulled it out and read aloud " _I don't think I have any words in which to tell the meeting of the mother and daughters. Such hours are beautiful to live, but very hard to describe, so I will leave it to the imagination of my readers, merely saying that the house was full of genuine happiness._ " He handed the book to Sybil so she could read it as well. "I heard that part lots of times. I thinks she always wished our house could be described as full of genuine happiness."

She turned the book over in her hands, fingering the spine, "It was sometimes. Not always, but sometimes it was."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for the times it wasn't," he paused as she looked up at him,"I'm sorry about Tom and your children. I am sorry you didn't feel welcomed here for so long." His words drifted off, as if he had just realized that words were not enough to make up for the years of pain he had caused.

Arms found their way around him, hugging him like a little girl glad to see her father after a long separation, which really it had been a long separation. "I forgive you, and they forgive you. We are all right. We've been all right."

He held her close, soaking in the last moment with his youngest daughter. Finally when his presence seemed to almost flicker he spoke, his voice seeming far away. "I have to go, Sybil. I don't want to but I have to go." She stepped back and one last time Robert ran his fingers along the edge of his books. Sybil blinked and was alone, the book in her hands still.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite what his wife, mother, and daughters thought; Robert had never really felt Mary deserved Downton. Downton was a legacy to be preserved not a place to be had. In his eyes Mary had always had it wrong. It was only after his death that he was able to see the truth. If in her youth Mary had not understood her father's duty she had, in time, learned it. She had made a lovely countess, graceful under pressure. She had not only fulfilled the traditional duties of the matriarch of the house she had also worked alongside her husband in modernizing and and keeping up the estate while other stately homes were failing. Downton would last because of her work.

The September day was unusually warm, Mary had found it odd but was going to take full advantage of it. The afternoon light was just waning as Mary stood at the crest of a small hill, overlooking much of Downton. She would have to go up soon to change but she was quite enjoying the sunshine. She glanced back at the house, a figure was coming towards her. Possibly her husband, finished with the business he had this afternoon. But as the man nearned Mary could tell it wasn't Matthew, it looked like… well it looked like her father. She blinked against the light but by now he was too close to be mistaken. Mary turned back to the view of the estate, figuring that when she turned back he would be gone.

"It should have been yours," Robert said and after her silence added "the estate, I mean."

"Downton isn't a place to be had, it's a place to be cared for." Mary wouldn't look to her right, she couldn't bear to look in case she really was talking to nobody.

Her father sighed, "but I should have fought the entail, you, my dear, have taken care of it marvelously."

"I'm sure it was more Matthew's doing than my own."

She couldn't see it but Robert shook his head, "no, so many ideas for modernization and so much care for this place came from you. I'm sorry I didn't fight for you."

"You wouldn't have won, and I wouldn't have met Matthew."

"But I should have fought just the same, if for no other reason than to show you I believed in you."

Mary finally looked over, her father was standing there squinting into the light next to her. She smiled. Robert spoke again, "I do believe in you."

"I know that now."

She smiled and reached for his hand, squeezing it in hers, whatever this was it couldn't last and if she waited any longer she would be late for dinner and people would be wonder where she was. Her father nodded as if he understood and Mary turned to go, Robert watched her as she walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** It's been forever and this is really short but today this story hit me again and I'm already part way done with Cora's chapter which will be next and last.

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Edith was the hard one to understand, she always had been. Growing up she would be so contrary, if her sisters liked something she hated it. If someone gave her advice she would do the opposite. New acquaintances would comment on how calm and good natured she seemed, Robert would nod but never really agree. It was only when she had grown past pettiness and found her own little place in the world did Robert understand her childhood attitudes. She had been the middle child, stuck between two strong personalities, she just wanted to be noticed, to be loved.

Long gone were the days that anybody helped Edith dress for dinner, but sitting at the dressing table in her old room, she missed it. She didn't miss it because she needed help but because she had also found visiting with someone before dinner helped her order her thoughts. She pinned the last bit of hair up on top of her head and stood to go, glancing around the room as she left, just to make sure she didn't forget anything. Turning into the hallway she was surprised to see a figure on the landing near the stairs. She was the only one who stayed in her old room when visiting, nobody would be on this side of the house, but then again she didn't live here anymore, she didn't know all the servants.

He spoke, "You look beautiful tonight."

Edith blinked confused tears from her eyes. It looked like her father and sounded like him as well. "Excuse me?"

The figure stepped nearer, there was no mistaking it now, Robert, Earl of Grantham, was standing in front of her. "Not just tonight, you have always been radiant."

In past Edith would have contradicted him, not trusting anybody's compliments to be true, but she had come to realize that although she may never be a striking as her sisters it didn't matter. So tonight she smiled. "Thank you."

Her father held out his arm and together they made their way down the stairs, neither one speaking, they didn't need to, it was comforting just to be together. Before they made it to the drawing room he gave a little bow and left her standing bewildered in the hallway.


End file.
